Ad maiorem Matris Gloriam – For the Greater Glory of the Mother The 6th century Marian devotion, attributed to St. Romanos the Melodist, is one of the greatest marvels of Greek religious poetry, with a richness of imagery that is the despair of any translator. The title “Akathistos” literally means “non-sitting,” because all remain standing while it is sung. When the enemies attacked Constantinople, the citizens would hold a cross procession on the city walls carrying the Christian sanctities and reading out the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. The Akathist hymn was complemented by a new introduction in[…]

Líbera me (“Deliver me”) is a Roman Catholic responsory that is sung in the Office of the Dead and at the absolution of the dead, a service of prayers for the dead said beside the coffin immediately after the Requiem Mass and before burial. The text of Libera me asks God to have mercy upon the deceased person at the Last Judgment. Libera me is begun by a cantor, who sings the versicles alone, and the responses are sung by the choir. The text is written in the first person singular, “Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that[…]

The Magnificat, the canticle of the Incarnation, recalls to us each day that God has stripped Himself of His glory to clothe Himself in the livery of poor and suffering humanity. “He raised [Mary] above all others because she declared herself to be the lowest of all creatures. When He made for Himself a dwelling place on earth, it was not in the palaces of kings. He chose poor, humble parents and all that the world disdained in order to cast down its pomp. This was the proper character of divine power in the new alliance: to make its virtue[…]

A The Litany of the Saints (Litaniae Sanctorum) is a traditional chant in the Catholic Church that praises God and his saints. Its first recorded use was in 590 when Pope St. Gregory prescribed its usage for a public procession of thanksgiving. The Litany is a call to remember those who have gone before us and to ask their intercession. The form given below is a long standing traditional form of the Litany Saints published in the Roman Ritual, Latin-English edition in 1952. A partial indulgence is attached to the Litany of the Saints. Litaniae Sanctorum – The Litany of[…]

Did your community have at least one Rorate Mass this Advent? Rorate Cæli is one of the most beautiful Hymns of the Catholic Faith. The text of this piece is a faithful rendition of the verse from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 45:8) in Vulgate and other sources. It is a reverent and humble supplication to the mercy of God. It is a hymn of repentance and sorrow. The following recording comes from the Trappist Abbey of Citeaux in France. To listen, tap the play button. Latin English Rorate Cæli desuper,Et nubes pluant justum. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from aboveAnd let the clouds[…]

Te Ssæculorum Principem (Thou, Prince of all ages) is a very moving hymn, expressing love and desire for Jesus Christ and His reign over the hearts and minds of men, but also over society at large. This is a doctrine that has always been taught by the Catholic Church: namely, that Jesus Christ should reign even in the public sphere. His laws should be helped and fostered by the civil laws, which in turn should never contradict the Divine Law. Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius X, and Archbishop Lefebvre, fought against the perfidious error which spread among Church men,[…]

The Litany of Loretto was introduced into the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore by Cardinal Francesco Toledo in 1597; and in 1613, Pope Paul V ordered it to be sung in that church, morning and evening, on Saturdays and on vigils and feasts of the Madonna. “From the first day of next October, therefore, until the second day of the November following, in every parish and, if the ecclesiastical authority deem it opportune and of use, in every chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin – let five decades of the Rosary be recited with the addition of the Litany of[…]